﻿308 
  OLDHAM 
  : 
  GREAT 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  OF 
  1897. 
  

  

  has 
  not 
  collapsed, 
  but 
  the 
  walls 
  have 
  been 
  moved 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  vertical, 
  the 
  beams 
  

   being 
  displaced 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  extent. 
  The 
  effect 
  is 
  what 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  by 
  a 
  shock 
  travelling 
  in 
  an 
  approximately 
  east-west 
  direction. 
  The 
  porticoes 
  

   to 
  the 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  are 
  also 
  affected 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  ; 
  at 
  the 
  corners 
  of 
  the 
  

   building 
  the 
  arches 
  facing 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  damaged 
  than 
  those 
  

   facing 
  east 
  and 
  west. 
  A 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  cornice 
  from 
  the 
  eastern 
  portico 
  fell 
  east. 
  

  

  The 
  E-W 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  shock 
  is 
  clearly 
  shown 
  in 
  another 
  injured 
  building, 
  

   the 
  clock-tower. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  structure 
  in 
  red 
  bricks 
  rising 
  above 
  an 
  arched 
  

   gateway, 
  facing 
  W 
  5 
  N. 
  The 
  eastern 
  and 
  western 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  tower 
  are 
  

   supported 
  by 
  flying 
  buttresses 
  ; 
  these 
  have 
  acted 
  as 
  a 
  protection 
  to 
  the 
  arched 
  

   windows 
  placed 
  between 
  them, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  shock 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  east, 
  and 
  there 
  

   is 
  no 
  structure 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  kind 
  protecting 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  walls, 
  the 
  lower 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  tower, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  flying-buttresses, 
  has 
  moved 
  

   bodily 
  towards 
  the 
  west, 
  causing 
  the 
  collapse 
  of 
  the 
  arched 
  windows 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  

   and 
  south 
  walls; 
  the 
  damage 
  is 
  particularly 
  great 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  buildings 
  accompanying 
  the 
  little 
  mosque 
  in 
  the 
  cemetery 
  has 
  had 
  

   its 
  western 
  extremity 
  injured 
  by 
  a 
  crack 
  inclined 
  at 
  about 
  85 
  to 
  the 
  horizon 
  and 
  

   hading 
  west. 
  It 
  shows 
  equally 
  well 
  on 
  both 
  the 
  northern 
  and 
  southern 
  aspects. 
  

   The 
  buildings, 
  however, 
  are 
  placed 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  mound, 
  and 
  the 
  outer 
  walls, 
  from 
  

   their 
  situation, 
  would 
  be 
  predisposed 
  to 
  injury. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  house 
  not 
  far 
  distant 
  the 
  east-west 
  direction 
  is 
  better 
  shown 
  by 
  a 
  wall 
  

   facing 
  west, 
  which 
  has 
  become 
  detached, 
  notwithstanding 
  two 
  solid 
  buttresses. 
  

  

  The 
  Collector's 
  house, 
  a 
  one 
  storied 
  structure 
  built 
  on 
  an 
  eminence, 
  has 
  a 
  semi- 
  

   circular 
  verandah 
  facing 
  5 
  north 
  of 
  west, 
  which 
  is 
  very 
  badly 
  wrecked 
  ; 
  the 
  sym- 
  

   metrical 
  one 
  facing 
  5 
  south 
  of 
  east 
  is 
  also 
  damaged, 
  but 
  to 
  a 
  less 
  extent. 
  The 
  

   rest 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  is 
  not 
  much 
  damaged 
  except 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  arches. 
  

  

  The 
  post 
  office 
  is 
  a 
  one 
  storied 
  building, 
  with 
  a 
  verandah 
  facing 
  west, 
  and 
  a 
  

   smaller 
  one 
  facing 
  east. 
  These 
  are 
  carried 
  by 
  pillars 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  built 
  on 
  the 
  

   same 
  plinth 
  as 
  the 
  house. 
  Neither 
  of 
  them 
  has 
  collapsed, 
  but 
  both 
  are 
  damaged 
  

   and 
  rent 
  apart 
  from 
  the 
  house, 
  the 
  western 
  one 
  especially. 
  The 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  building 
  

   has 
  suffered 
  little. 
  

  

  Many 
  one 
  storied 
  houses 
  and 
  the 
  tall 
  houses 
  of 
  the 
  bazar 
  are 
  badly 
  damaged, 
  

   but, 
  owing 
  probably 
  to 
  their 
  imperfect 
  construction, 
  the 
  cracks 
  follow 
  no 
  spiecal 
  

   direction, 
  and 
  their 
  ruin 
  merely 
  bears 
  witness 
  to 
  the 
  violence 
  of 
  the 
  shock. 
  

  

  Purniah.— 
  At 
  Purniah 
  the 
  houses 
  are 
  built 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  manner 
  as 
  to 
  give 
  little 
  

   idea 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  shock. 
  They 
  are 
  tall 
  buildings 
  made 
  of 
  indifferent 
  

   bricks 
  jointed 
  with 
  mud 
  or 
  bad 
  mortar, 
  and 
  coated 
  with 
  an 
  enormous 
  thickness 
  of 
  

   plaster. 
  They 
  have 
  been 
  shattered 
  without 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  very 
  definite 
  cracks. 
  

   Comparing 
  them 
  with 
  buildings 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  style 
  at 
  Monghyr, 
  it 
  seems, 
  however, 
  

   that 
  the 
  violence 
  of 
  the 
  shock 
  was 
  much 
  greater. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   Government 
  Offices, 
  a 
  new 
  red-brick 
  building, 
  with 
  an 
  upper 
  floor 
  and 
  a 
  square 
  

   clock-tower, 
  has 
  remained 
  intact, 
  and 
  the 
  clock 
  was 
  not 
  even 
  stopped. 
  

  

  The 
  ground 
  cracked 
  in 
  every 
  direction 
  wherever 
  it 
  was 
  unsupported, 
  and 
  jets 
  

   of 
  water 
  escaped 
  from 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  fissures. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  still 
  open 
  

   at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  my 
  visit, 
  for 
  instance, 
  at 
  Harda 
  Bridge, 
  3 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  Purniah. 
  

   The 
  road 
  at 
  that 
  place 
  is 
  raised 
  some 
  ten 
  to 
  fifteen 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  ( 
  308 
  ) 
  

  

  